Lotus Elise Purist Edition Announced

[Administrator]

Lotus has confirmed that it will introduce a Purist Edition of the Elise for sale in the U.S. this year. The philosophy behind this new model is to bring the Elise back to what it was when it first crossed the pond and landed on U.S. shores.

That means it will be a more basic package and will come at a lower starting price. That starting MSRP for the new model will be $43,995 - roughly $3,500 less than a standard Elise.

What you get for that amount is quite a lot… or quite a little depending on how you look at it. Lotus prides itself on light-weight, back-to-basics vehicles and the Purist Edition, as the name suggests, is just that.

The car comes with the 190hp Toyota-source 1.8-liter four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission. Also included are 16-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels with 175/55/16 and 225/45/17 tires. You also get Bilstein shocks and AP Racing brakes. Inside is typically Spartan, although there are leather Probax seats, a leather-wrapped MOMO wheel and air conditioning is standard. In fact, the only option is the Starshield paint protection for $995.

The Lotus Elise Purist Edition is offered in three colors: Ardent Red, Saffron Yellow and (our favorite) Monaco White.

More: Lotus Elise Purist Edition Announced on AutoGuide.com

[Thomasio]

Purist edition: AC is standard?

I thought they were going to talk about no AC, no stereo, no leather, no soundproofing, etc. To me, that would be a "purist" car.

[Cardinal]

So they're basically selling a 2005 Elise with a dbw throttle. OK then.

[RichS]

They should go with smaller (lighter!) wheels too. 15/16s instead of 16/17s.

[sleeprfocus]

They should've done all the above and offered the supercharger as an option. Given that the 2-11 isn't street legal here, they really should've cut enough fat from the Elise to get it down to 1,700 lbs so they could offer another option for those looking for a budget Lotus street/track car. The weight savings proposed in this edition probably doesn't make it any faster than an Elise SC with all its options.

[EliseSC]

Sounds like they are trying to lower their price point in this economy.

[Zinhead]

Originally Posted by EliseSC

Sounds like they are trying to lower their price point in this economy.

Probably what happened is that as the pound fell against the dollar, they felt they could lower the price of the Elise and still make money. However, since the pound will likely strengthen against the dollar in the near term, they didn't want to have to lower the base price then raise it again. The solution? A slightly decontented special-edition Elise. Expect more lower-priced special editions if the pound remains weak.

[bueno]

Originally Posted by Cardinal

So they're basically selling a 2005 Elise with a dbw throttle. OK then.

Looks to me like a lower priced 2009 Elise

Seems like the purists edition has touring and star shield so if you add those options to a regular Elise, you have an MSRP of $49,845. The purists edition is $43,995 so you're saving $5850-great deal if you ask me. Now, if Lotus would only come out with a lease program, this would be a hit

[tko211]

I love this! In reading this announcement I have determined that my 2005 saffron yellow elise is now basically the original purist edition! Makes me feel even better about my purchase earlier this year when I bought mine used. Granted it has 30k miles but it was about half the price. But- my 05 is even more purist given it has the older headlights and tail lights. So unless this new 09 comes with those older parts my 05 is more pure! They should just call it a price drop edition.

[Monsi]

when I posted this I got cause it was old news

REPOST!!!

[Moto44]

What's the opposite of the "Purist Edition"? An SE, the "Sullied Edition"? That's what I got, replete with a fully carpeted interior and a cup holder.

[jlj3394]

I like the idea, it is an especially good option for someone who wants to track the car and add mods - no sense in having to pay for stuff you're going to end up stripping and selling here.